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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 920
EAN num: 9780595661329
ISBN number: 0595661327
Label: iUniverse.com
Manufacturer: iUniverse.com
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 248
Printing Date: December 17, 2003
Publishing house: iUniverse.com
Sale Popularity Level: 1542291
Studio: iUniverse.com
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
A sadistic captain puts his crew on edge. A young officer has a breakdown in a near-collision. A sailour jumps to the bottom of the sea. The Last American Sailors recounts one man's decade in a misunderstood industry--the merchant marine, a fleet with a glorious past and an uncertain future. If On the Road met The Perfect Storm, we would have The Last American Sailors, the definitive travelogue of a merchant seaman and an encompassing look into the mysterious world of merchant shipping.
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Rated by buyers 
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My dad was a Merchant Marine during World War II and again after the war in the late 40s and through the 50s. He told many stories about his adventures and his life aboard ship. He dreaded going to sea. He craved a land job. I wanted to find out more about my father's dread of life on the sea. This book provided that incite. The stories about life on board ship and off conformed with my dad's renditions. Mr. Rawlins' narrations were more detailed and more elaborate but the similarities were obvious.
This book was just what I was looking for. I was surprised to find that a seafarer's union still existed and that it was international. I intend to do more reading on this subject. I found this book useful, informative and a good picture of what my dad was dealing with.
The book is straight forward and professionally written. I would say that Mr. Rawlins did a good job of painting a picture of the modern day Merchant Marines.
Books written by Richard Noble:
"Hobo-ing America: A Workingman's Tour of the U.S.A.."
"A Summer with Charlie"
"A Little Something: Poetry and Prose"
"Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother" Novel
"The Eastpointer" Selected newspaper columns.
Rated by buyers 
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This comes across as a piece of fiction, a "yarn" spun by a sailour and turned into a book. Much of what is written in the book repeats itself, and since the "names and names of the ships were changed," it leaves you to wonder if it even happened at all. It all sounds exaggerated, to the point where you stop taking it seriously. Having been overseas during the Gulf War, I can tell you there is NO WAY two Merchant Seamen could have found Army uniforms and a jeep and snuck off the piers. Some of his stories are real, but it's about 60/40 with the fiction. Don't take this as a true account of life aboard an American Merchant Ship.
Rated by buyers -
This is a superb look at the merchant marine from the inside. This is a "must read" for any fan of ship tales; the author is a exceeingly talented! You will love every page.
Rated by buyers -
This is truly one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a long time. If you are at all interested in reading about life at sea, you will thoroughly enjoy this very well-written book. You won't find gripping page-turning passages such as those in "Perfect Storm," but you will be fascinated with the many interesting stories of Rawling's experience on ships in the merchant marine.
I would highly recommend that the author get a new cover for this book--it makes the book look like something from some obscure press, or even self-published. But the mediocre cover belies the excellent writing contained within.
I have always enjoyed dramatic stories of storms and disasters at sea, but this book is definitely one of my favorite all time books about life at sea. The book more than makes up for its lack of drama with many interesting stories about the author's experience during a decade in the merchant marine. Interspersed between the stories are numerous informative passages about the merchant marine, which I found fascinating. In this book, the author shares a wealth of tales involving the countless characters he crewed with and their quirky habits, an overbearing captain, near-misses at sea, and lots of good stories about his forays into port towns he visited during his career.
The author's ability to relate these stories is top notch. His writing style is on par with some of the more established maritime authors, such as Sebastian Junger, Linda Greenlaw, and Spike Walker.
Rated by buyers -
I don't usually write reviews but I thought this was worth it.
It's hard to believe that this is a very first book. Mr. Rawlins's stories are fascinating and the book is well-written. I am a lawyer who had considered going to the Merchant Marine Academy. While I have never spent much time on the water, I always wondered what it would be like and now I know, thanks to Mr. Rawlins.
Good job, Michael.
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